


Rainbow Six Siege: Ohmtoonz Edition

by florelflowers



Category: Banana Bus Squad
Genre: Also fluff, And love, Guns, Lots of it, M/M, there's a bunch of sass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-11-23 02:03:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11393073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/florelflowers/pseuds/florelflowers
Summary: Ohmtoonz as r6s operators who make it work even though they're meant to be enemies.





	1. The Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> This is not meant to be 100% accurate to the game! 
> 
> The guys' characters  
> Ohm: Caveira  
> Cartoonz: Jackal  
> Jon: Sledge  
> Evan: Hibana  
> Smii7y: Ash  
> Brock: Buck

 

Despite his line of work, there are quite a few things Luke fears. Heights, for one, (which is weird considering that one mission they had involving a skyscraper) the ocean, because what the fuck even is at the bottom of it, and don’t get him started about the  _ creatures  _ scientists are finding everyday. There’s a long list, one he’s actually sat and written when he was bored and curious as to how many things give him goosebumps, but, one of the things that’s pretty high up on that 20 bulleted paper is his superior (number 4 in fact). 

Or, their squad leader, Brock. Which, he’s been told, is bizarre, considering how  _ nice  _ the guy is. Brock was their leader due to his strategic plans, (also because the rest of the guys associate leader with responsibilities and that word alone is on all their lists) not because he was cruel or menacing. But that’s exactly why Luke fears him. Why did the guy never get angry? What was he waiting for? And when,  _ when,  _ he does explode, who will be on the receiving end? 

He’s reminded of this fact as he rushes into the _ totally discreet warehouse  _ late, again. He can hear the guys talking from inside the office as soon as he enters and he winces, because why does he have to have the time management skills of a elementary kid? 

He walks in sheepishly and the groans of “ _ about fucking time”  _ immediately start. Brock stands at the foot of the table and Luke walks over to him, flipping the boys off as he goes, and his fear of the guy surfaces. 

“Brock, dude, I’m sorry. Things got held up at the house and then there was traffic, can you believe that? Traffic at 8? Shouldn’t everybody be at home and eating dinner? Anyways, I’m really sorry and I promise it won’t happen again.” 

A paper ball hits him in the back of the head, and he glares over at Jon who’s laughing. 

“Didn’t you say that last time?” 

“Shut the  _ fuck up. _ ” The giggling intensifies, because of course of does, it’s Jon, (the guy who can laugh at paint drying) but there’s a light hand patting his shoulder and he tenses. 

“No worries, Luke. I was just about to have one of them call you anyways, but now that you’re here I can go over the briefing.” Brock  _ smiles  _ and Luke narrows his eyes, watching him closely as he opens the file waiting on the table.  

The man definitely has anger issues being pent up, he knows it. 

“Okay, boys, this is a bomb mission.” Luke walks over to his seat, kicking Jon’s chair in the back and snorts as the man scoots up too fast and hits his stomach on the table, groaning in pain. 

Brock just ignores them, sighing under his breath like a dad who’s done with his kids’ shit. “Two bombs have been located over at Hereford Base and it’s our job to defuse it. Evan, you know the drill, destroy anything our guns can’t tear down. Luke, track anyone who might try and go for a flank. Smii7y, you’re the fastest, so run in and shoot anybody you don’t recognize. And Jon, well, there’s really no controlling you. Just hammer people I guess.” 

Jon winks and stands, walking over to his ‘mighty’ hammer, (his love for Thor is truly astounding) and swings it as if it were a bat, “You got it boss.” 

“That actually looks really lame and I don’t know why you feel the need to do it every time.” 

Ah, yes, Smii7y, the sarcastic and blunt golden boy of their squad. Luke has a special kind of love for him, a brotherly love that differs from the one he has with Jon.  

“What do you mean lame? I’m the coolest guy you know, the coolest dude here. Bitches know me for being  _ not lame _ .” 

Evan finally pipes up, and Luke’s just now noticing the intense staring contest going on between him and the wall. He looks and sees nothing but a smudged dick Jon drew to see if it could spark something in Brock. It didn’t. 

Huh, now that he thinks about it, makes sense Evan would be the one to stare at it longingly. 

“Babe, you don’t know any bitches, if you did I would know about it. And then you would be dead.” 

“Just me or the bitches too?” Evan actually thinks about it, rubbing at facial hair yet to grow in. Sometimes Luke will catch him staring at his beard, and he’ll rub it just to see Evan frown and look in the mirror, wondering why he’s in his late twenties but can’t grow anything. Luke enjoys it far more than he should. 

“Probably just you.” Jon gives him a questioning look, and cocks his hip. 

“Evan, don’t lie.” 

“Are we really having a discussion on whether Evan’s jealousy could drive him to kill people other than you?”

Smii7y looks completely done with the conversation and Luke isn’t too far behind. 

“What would you rather have us be doing?” 

Brock, who’s been silently watching with the eyes of someone who’s given up, bless him, sighs softly. Luke’s fear for him drops a bit, and he just feels sorry for the guy and his bad luck of getting stuck with a team like them. 

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe the fucking mission?” Jon seems to finally realize that they’re all there for a specific reason, and not to just hear about his and Evan’s “amazing” relationship (which really wasn’t all that great considering the amount of times they bickered back and forth and made up for it with ‘mind blowing’ sex- a not so healthy relationship that worked for them in a totally not toxic but slightly toxic way. At least, what they had, was nothing compared to  _ his _ ). 

“Shit. You’re right.” 

“Guys, we really should be leaving now. Actually, about five minutes ago, but I think we’ll be fine if we speed a little.” 

Brock’s a goddamn saint that none of them deserve. That doesn’t mean Luke can’t watch him closely as he crosses behind him, because the silent ones are who you have to watch out for after all. Maybe. He doesn’t remember the quote exactly, just knows Brock can’t be as nice as everyone says he is. 

No man who works with a group of adult childish men can stay nice. Also the fact that they kill people for a living, that must cause some mental fucking, right? 

As if on cue they all stand, grabbing the weapons that are specific to their expertise. The air changes, then, as everyone becomes aware of the circumstances they’re walking into. Laughter dies down, playful eyes harden, and though they say nothing, the tiny nods they give each other let them all know that though they may get on one another’s nerves, they’re bound by a team and a brotherhood unbreakable.

That no matter what happens under the gunfire of their enemies, they will always be there to have each other’s backs. 

**

The ride there is silent, as it usually is. He’s watching how fast Smii7y reloads his gun, ignoring the heavy feeling in his stomach as he remembers how young the kid is, when there’s a soft cough. 

“Uh, guys, don’t be mad, but I totally spaced out through that whole talk and what exactly is the mission again? Hostage?” It’s Evan, because who else can give zero fucks as much as they give plenty like Jon? 

“Fuck, Evan, really? The fuck were you doing back there, sleeping with your eyes open?” 

“Y’know, you say that as if it’s near impossible, but 20% of people have reported nodding off with their eyes still open.” 

“Smii7y...shut up.”

“Hey, be nice. Evan honey, it’s bomb, today.” Luke rolls his eyes at how soft Jon’s voice gets for the guy. 

“Just make sure your pellets for anything reinforced are ready to go, and try and pay attention next time, okay?” Brock’s got that little smile and Luke really hates his team.

Hates that he loves these idiots as much as he does. 

**

They park a few miles back, and gather themselves for a second. With one final nod and silent words that mean everything, they split off to their designated spots. Smii7y’s always the first to go in, with Brock quickly trailing, and though Luke hates it, he understands why. He’s small and fast, and can usually make it by cameras going undetected. 

Luke and Jon go in at the same time, although by different methods. Luke’s the more quiet and sneaky type, using his Eyenox Model to track the footsteps of anyone trying to sneak up on them, while Jon rushes in without a care in the world.

Smashing open walls and windows and using shock value to quickly gun down enemies. 

Evan is last, only because he’s important. Recently, the enemy side has upgraded their ‘security’ in the form of reinforced walls. Something that none of them could break down with their own weapons. Evan has always been known for his explosive devices, though, and he only grinned and got to work on making one after their first encounter with the walls. 

They go in first, making sure all is clear, before sending him in. Without his gadget, the X-KAIROS, there’s no way for them to breach into areas highly dangerous yet extremely important. 

He breaks down a barricaded door on the first floor, and quickly turns on his device, smirking when he sees red footprints lining all over the ground, indicating that they’re fairly recent. 

“I’m tracking footsteps, I’ll let you guys know who’s roaming near.” He stands from crouching, looking around to make sure no one sneaked up on him while he was busy, before making his way down a hall as his scanner calculates the shoe prints. 

There’s a muffled snort in his earpiece, that makes him wince from the suddenness of it, followed by the sound of a window smashing open, and he sighs, already knowing what’s coming. 

“You really need to work on your foot fetish, man. I think it’s starting to take over your life, maybe- surprise bitch!” The sound of a shotgun and laughter that can only belong to a certain maniac echos from upstairs, and, fuck, Luke didn’t even need to be there to know the guy probably just got jumpscared on his own territory. 

“Did you just kool-aid man someone?”  His scanner pings, alerting him of his first victim, and he grins, seeing the ping mark show up and letting him know the person was only hiding on the upcoming stairs. 

“Don’t I always?” Valid point, there’s a running joke within the group, how Jon is the offspring of the kool-aid man because of his unique way of smashing through walls and fucking shit up.

Luke waits 10 seconds for the next ping, seeing that the person moved closer to where the bombs are, and he curses silently. 

“What’s the situation on getting into the objective? I’ve got a guy who ran back to his team as soon as I pinged his ass.” 

“I have a drone up and running. Okay, two guys holding it down on A sight, but B looks clear. Could try and go for a plant?” 

“Just wait a sec, Smii7y. Evan, get those hatches open and distract them, get them nervous, and I’ll shoot from above. They won’t know where to look, and then we strike, together. Smii7y has the defuser, so we’ll watch his back as he plants and block off entry ways. Don’t let them in no matter what.” 

“Be careful, guys. I shot one on the way here, heard Jon shoot one, and there’s two on sight. We’re missing our fifth guy.” 

Fuck, this could get messy real quick. The last guy was roaming, then, but Luke only saw the one pair of footsteps that ran back to sight. Did he miss a set somewhere? 

“I’ll see if there’s anything to track down here, if not then that means he’s up there with you Brock. Watch your back.” 

“Got it.” 

He backtracks a little, seeing nothing. Each room is clear, and he sighs in frustration. 

“I’ve got nothing. Anyone see or hear him yet?” 

“I’ve checked up here as well and nothing. Everyone stay on guard, this could get dangerous real fast.” Brock sounds worried, and Luke doesn’t blame him. Whoever they’re dealing with is extremely patient, and good at hiding. It’s obvious they’re waiting for the perfect time to strike, but with no sightings of them, they have to keep pushing forward and hope that Luke can track the guy. 

“You mean more dangerous than rushing into a place with two bombs and very skilled people with guns?” 

“Now’s not the time, Smii7y.” 

Luke’s too busy trying to remember the layout of the building and possible hiding places, that he doesn’t notice the slight shift in the air, or the way the hairs on his arms raise until it’s too late. 

Something gets pressed to the back of his head, a gun no doubt, and he completely freezes. 

Whoever is holding it has a light and steady hand, most likely belonging to who they’re looking for. If they know how to hide and wait, then they most definitely know how to aim. 

He’s in a terrible spot. There’s no way for him to get out of this without that gun going off, and so he slowly raises his hands, speaking lightly. 

“Guys, I think I found our last guy.” 

“Where is he? Are you with him? Luke, what’s going on.” He hears the guys go back and forth, but he’s lucky he even got a chance to warn them. 

“Turn around.” It’s a deep voice, overly deep, actually, as if the guy is doing it on purpose. If he feels the need to lower his voice for some sort of intimidation, maybe Luke could take on this guy after all. 

He turns slowly, hands still raised, and stares cross eyed at a handgun nestled right between his eyes. He stares at it longer than he should, because, well, it looks  _ familiar.  _ His eyes follow hands and up smooth arms, and oh,  _ oh.  _

“Ryan?” The guys face is painted to resemble a skull, but fuck, those are definitely Ryan’s eyes, Luke wakes up next to the exact same pair every morning, can stare into them forever and feel nothing but love and  _ holy fuck that’s Ryan _ . 

“Boo.” Smii7y’s yelling in his ear that he has to plant  _ now,  _ but Luke can hardly hear him over the pounding in his ears. He’s honestly not sure if it’s due to surprise or rage. 

“Boo? You have a gun to my head and you say fucking  _ boo? _ ” 

“Oh, right, sorry.” He lowers the gun as if that solves everything, and Luke just laughs, because yeah, their relationship is way more fucked up than Jon and Evan’s. 

“What-how...what are you doing  _ here _ ?” He realizes his voice has gone incredibly high but fuck pride right now. 

Ryan shrugs, looking somewhere behind him. 

“Got a call just like you, a little after you left. Didn’t know you were gonna be here either, in my defense, until one of my teammates yelled out that they were being tracked. And also because I heard Jon’s laugh.” 

The whole situation is now completely fucked, and Luke grabs at his hair, pacing back and forth. It’s a habit he does when he’s stressed, one that Ryan always makes fun of him for. Like when they’re at Ben and Jerry’s and he doesn’t know what ice cream flavor he wants, and he can’t help but pace around the store until he finally decides on a shake, of all things. 

There’s still screaming going on in his earpiece, and he coughs. 

“We’ve got a problem, the last guy who we’ve been searching for is Ryan.” It goes silent, for once, but it only lasts for a second or two, before havoc starts. They’re all talking over each other, but he hears one thing repeated from each one. 

“ _ We’re fucked _ .” 

Brock, though, bless him again, speaks up quietly and sounds completely confused. 

“But...you said earlier things got held up at the house? I figured it was because, you two...y’know.” 

“Fucked? Oh, no, we did, but-” The sound of a gun goes off, a suppressor, and then Luke is on the ground and immobilized. He looks up shocked to see Ryan crouching over him with a disappointed look in his eyes, funny, considering he was the one who just shot Luke down. 

“What the  _ fuck, Ryan. _ ” 

“What have I said about our sex life? It’s personal and for us, not your team. Besides I know Smii7y is here, and I’ve told you plenty of times to keep it PG around him.” 

“He’s not 10- fuck all that! I’m not having that talk with you here. You didn’t have to  _ shoot me  _ because of it though, goddamn.” 

Ryan rolls his eyes, and Luke has never been more offended in his life.

“You’ll be fine in a couple of hours, calm down.” Luke has picked the worst person to fall in love with. He should have listened to Jon all those years ago. 

“ _ Hours?  _ Ryan, I have a fucking job to do!” 

“Look I know there’s a lovers’ quarrel going on down there, but I’m planting the defuser, we’ve already wasted a lot of time.” 

Ryan’s still crouched, but he’s reloading his pistol, and oh fuck, he knows what that means. He makes to warn the others, but Ryan notices, because of course he does. He places a hand over his mouth and narrows his eyes down at Luke. 

“If you tell them I’m banning sex for a month.” He can’t help but widen his eyes at that. 

He licks at the hand, watching as Ryan pulls away in mock disgust. 

“A month?! Why not a week or two, are you trying to kill me? Don’t answer that, it’s obvious you are, considering you fucking shot me!” He’s only given a wet kiss on the forehead and a light pat on the cheek. 

“If you keep talking I’ll make it two.” Ryan’s smiling when he pulls back, and yeah, Luke hates to be one of those guys that fears his lover, but, that number one spot on his list of ‘ _ Things that are too spooky for me’  _ is reserved for the man standing in front of him. 

The man that’s beautiful and resembles everything good in the world, but who can also be just as hellish and evil. It’s a switch that Luke likes to mess with sometimes, but in situations like this, he’s reminded why that’s very much  _ not  _ a good idea. 

He watches Ryan leave, and scoffs when he pokes his head back to blow a kiss. 

“Love you babe!” He tries to hid the smile that forms on his face, because he should be anything but happy, but everything Ryan does he loves tenfold. Even if that means shooting him and essentially making him paralyzed for a couple of hours so that he can continue on with his job. Ryan’s not perfect by any means, but neither is Luke, and together they make a perfectly imperfect couple. 

He can only sigh fondly as he thinks about the man, before remembering the other guys. He could warn them, but they most likely know Ryan’s on his way, so he settles for a, “Good luck.” 

Brock, surprisingly, replies back in a meek voice that screams defeat. 

“Thank you.” He’s making it extremely difficult for Luke to keep him at that number 4 spot. 

They fail the mission, although they failed as soon as the fifth guy turned out to be Ryan. Each of them are laid out and unable to move, crawling around until there’s feeling in their legs again. 

Jon, of course, can’t stop crying about it.

“I can’t feel my legs, help! They’re dead,  _ dead,  _ thanks to that demon Luke’s sleeping with!” 

He can imagine Brock laying on the top floor somewhere and staring up at the ceiling wondering why his life is the way it is. 

“None of us can feel our legs, dipshit.” 

“Shut up, Smii7y, not everything’s about you! Evan, babe, tell me where you are, I’ll crawl to you. No one can keep our love apart.” 

“Jon, you crawled over my body two minutes ago.” There’s a pause, before,

“Fuck!” 

Luke sighs, glancing up at Ryan who’s long since come back down to him after disabling the defuser. He’s got Luke’s head in his lap, and runs soft fingers through his hair. 

“Brock, how are you holding up?” 

“...I just want to go home and eat a cookie.” Tears form in Luke’s eyes because,  _ fuck,  _ Brock really is just a sweetheart. 

“Dammit, Brock. You’re off the list.” 

“What, what list?” 

There’s a light nudge to his shoulder and he look’s back up at Ryan, who has a kicked puppy look on his face. 

“Hey, I’m sorry for having to do this. I admit I got a bit carried away, but I haven’t been in the field in a while and that old excitement came back.” 

His arm feels heavy but he fights through it to lift his hand and place it over Ryan’s, squeezing with as much strength as he can. 

“It’s okay, love. We work for opposing sides, so long as you don’t shoot me with actual bullets, I’ll always forgive you for just doing your job.” 

Ryan’s a little teary-eyed, but he smiles nonetheless and leans down to place a delicate kiss over Luke’s lips and though Luke currently can’t feel his legs, the sensations that come with any kiss from Ryan make him want to run around screaming his love for the man. 

“I love you.” He doesn’t expect Ryan to say it back, as he’s usually not the sappy type like Luke, so he’s overwhelmed with joy and his heart soars through his chest when the words, 

“I love you, too.” are whispered back to him. 

The moment, however, is interrupted, as per usual. 

“Actually disgusting, dear god, please take your earpiece out. I think I’m gonna barf.” 

**

It’s a couple hours later that they’re finally able to hobble out and go back home. Although Brock’s the only one who actually goes to his place, with the speed and determination none of them have seen except when he wants to get as far away from them as possible. 

The rest of the boys head over to Luke and Ryan’s, because for some reason Ryan is their mother who makes the best home cooked meals. 

It’s definitely a sight to see them limp and drag their feet to the kitchen with pouts on their faces, but Ryan makes up for it by making dessert as well. They light up, and Luke snorts at the absurdity, of having grown men treating them like parents. Although, he’s been with these boys for years, and seeing as he’s the oldest, it makes sense that they look to him for some sort of guidance- and by extension, to whoever he’s with as well. 

It just so happens that Ryan is the nurturing type and doesn’t mind at all. 

Ryan’s still trying to make up for immobilizing him, so he spoon feeds him the cake he made, and he can see Jon’s look of disgust from across the table. 

“You guys are like an old married couple.” 

“When are-” Smii7y’s got food in his mouth still, and Ryan shoots him a look that shuts him up.

“Finish your food first, and then talk.” Jon snickers, but a swift kick to the shin has his mouth zipped just as fast. 

“As I was  _ saying,  _ when are you two gonna actually get married? It’s been how long, three years? You already act married, like Jon said, so why not just do it already?” It’s a thought he’s never had time to think about, and by the look on Ryan’s face, he’s thinking the same thing. 

He doesn’t actually know how to respond to that, but Ryan fills in the silence. 

“Marriage is just a title, doesn’t mean anything in the long run. We love each other, and things are good the way they are, simple as that.” He shrugs, glancing over at Luke for confirmation and Luke quickly nods, patting his knee under the table. 

“Right.” 

Except, that, maybe it’s not. 

Once the boys have left and he’s settled himself in bed, he watches Ryan as he brushes his teeth and cleans off the skull makeup, and it’s such a domestic sight that Luke can’t help but picture a ring on his finger as well. 

It’s a troubling thought that stays in his head even as Ryan slides in beside him, and cuddles close, laying his head on Luke’s chest and wrapping an arm around his middle. It only further fuels those thoughts and he lays awake, long after Ryan starts those soft snores he does. 

The more he thinks about it, the more he  _ likes  _ the idea of it. 

He doesn’t want to wake Ryan, but he has to at this point because this is something they need to talk about before it consumes him. 

“Ryan, babe, wake up.” He softly nudges him until eyes flutter open, only to quickly shut. He grunts and rolls over, burying his head into his pillow and curls into himself. 

“Ryan, I’m serious, we need to talk.”

“Bout what?” 

“About us...getting married?” He sees Ryan’s body tense up and he winces slightly. He’s probably fucked everything up, but he needs to know, about what exactly, well, he’s still trying to figure it out. 

Slowly Ryan rolls over, blinking several times so his eyes will focus, before settling them on Luke and his rigid posture. 

“Okay...do you want us to get married?” Oh, fuck, they’re really having this conversation. 

“You can’t just jump to it straight away!”

“What do you mean jump to it? You woke me up to talk about it, so let’s talk about it!” He groans in frustration and lays an arm over his eyes, blocking him from Ryan’s calculating gaze. 

“I don’t know, okay. Fucking Smii7y got the idea into my head, and now all I can think about is you in a nice tux and a ring on your finger. Of us having a wedding with our friends and you smiling, and maybe I’m the one who’ll cry because I love you, and well, fuck,  _ I love you,  _ so maybe it’s okay if I picture us married.” 

There’s a heavy silence that hangs between them, and Luke holds his breath. Finally, after what feels like forever, there’s a soft sigh followed by a hand tugging at his arm. 

“Luke, c’mon, look at me.” He does, reluctantly, or maybe not, because he always wants to be looking at Ryan. He looks into hazel eyes and mimics the soft smile being directed at him. 

“It’s okay to think of us married, we’re a couple, there’s nothing wrong with that. I know I’m not as...in touch with my emotions as you are, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think about these things either.” 

Oh, he definitely wasn’t expecting that.

“You’ve thought about us...like that?” Ryan just smiles and scoots closer, throwing a thigh over his hip and pulling him in.

“Of course, Luke, we’ve been together for years, and it’s been nothing but wonderful. Of course I’m gonna wonder about our future and things that are associated with it. I know how you are though, you like to go with flow, and if that means us staying boyfriends until we’re 80 then I’m okay with that. So long as you are too.” 

They stare at each other for a few minutes, taking in everything they see and only somehow falling more in love. 

“Y’know, husbands has a nice ring to it.” The answering grin he gets in return makes his heart flutter and he never wants to blink again in his life, never wants to miss a second that he could be gazing at someone as lovely as Ryan. 

“You think so?” 

“I know so.” 

They both lean in for a kiss, but it’s not as heated as it normally is. Rarely do they ever take time to kiss just to feel their love for one another transmitted through such a soft touch of lips. Everything is always so intense with them, and it’s nice to love in such a calming and simple way. They end up giggling into each other’s mouths half way, and Luke pulls back to see Ryan grinning and he knows his is just as big. 

“We’ll be like the gay version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The most badass couple there is, the greatest team that  _ kicks ass. _ ” He’s in love with a dork, a very scary and murderous dork. 

“We’re already the greatest team.” He hates to be the one that always gets sappy, but he can’t help it when it comes to Ryan. Ryan only looks at him with a fond expression though, so maybe it’s okay after all. 

“Yeah, you’re right. We really do make a great team, don’t we?” 

“We do. Just don’t tell Jon I said that, he’s got this crazy idea that him and Evan are the best.” 

“Your words are safe with me,  _ future husband. _ ” 

Luke can only roll his eyes and dive in for another kiss, because the sound of that makes him smile so wide his cheeks hurt and he knows he looks like a fool, a fool that’s wildly in love, that is. 


	2. The Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tyler: Smoke  
> Mini: Doc  
> Kryoz: Bandit  
> Marcel: Castle

 

Luke, by any means, is not stressed. He’s  _ not.  _ Maybe he gets mini heart attacks when his phone rings and their wedding planner says “ _ Hey, so you know the venues you guys picked? They’re all booked”,  _ or when the cake designer texts “ _ I don’t want you to panic Luke, but the cake is going to have to be pushed off for a bit, we’re getting bombarded with orders and don’t have the time right now. We’ll get to it though, don’t worry” _ . 

It’s not as if their wedding is only a week away and each day that goes by seemingly means new problems arising. So if he tends to pace a lot more than usual, and eats sweets to distract him from the near future when he makes the biggest decision of his life, well, that’s nobody’s business but his. Especially in regards to Jon, who watches him from across the room.

“Jesus, dude, you okay? I think I just watched you age 20 years right in front of me, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. Wait, now that I think about it, you’re probably gonna be one of those old men who thinks they’re still relevant, but are just really trying to distract themselves from their impending death.”

There’s a brief moment of silence, where they just stare at each other, before there’s a soft, “Well, that took a dark turn.”

It’s from Ryan, who’s currently laid out on the couch, reading a romance novel and drinking a glass of red wine, even if it’s barely past noon. Luke envies him a bit, at how calm he’s been throughout the past months.

When he had told the guys that he finally proposed, and they got over the ential excitement and shock, there was a mutual agreement that Ryan would turn out to be a bridezilla, wanting to control everything and make sure it was all perfect.

Ryan, in turn, has been the complete opposite. Instead, it’s Luke making phone calls and  _ totally not stressing  _ about all the trivial things involved. All the while Ryan relaxes and spends time doing his side hobbies, like painting masterpieces (that really aren’t that great, Luke just doesn’t have the heart to tell him so) as he dances to music from the 50’s.

It’s a beautiful sight to witness, but fuck, Luke’s pretty sure he’s going to go bald prematurely from all the hair pulling he’s been doing.

Jon laughs, and continues drinking from his capri sun, which really isn’t all that new anymore, considering Ryan buys a box specifically for the man because Jon practically lives with them.

It’s just the three of them sitting in the living room, and Luke frowns, knowing that number sounded wrong.

“Hey, where’s Evan?” Jon only shrugs, glancing away as he angrily sips out of his drink.

“Don’t know.” The way he squeezes the small pouch concerns Luke, mainly because those commercials say to respect the drink or some fucked up shit will happen.

Ryan finally sits up, placing all his things on the side table, and gives Jon a sad look.

“Did you guys have another fight?”

Jon snorts, waving his hand, “It’s not a big deal, we’ll be back to normal by tomorrow.”

Ryan, the ever concerned mother, still looks unsure. “Jon, tell me you at least know the reason why he’s upset with you, and don’t give me that ‘it’s not my fault’ bullshit you always do.”

“But it’s not! He just woke up in a bad mood this morning, started yelling about something before saying he was going over to Brock’s.”

Luke sighs, because Jon always means well, but he could be so  _ oblivious  _ sometimes.

“I’d talk to him, man, I’m sure he’s not upset over just nothing.” Jon, stubborn as always, scoffs and shakes his head.

“No way! He’s the one who yelled at me, if he wants to talk he knows where I am, and besides, I’m here because, hello, bachelor party?! I say we gather the boys and hit up strip clubs all night!”

Ryan, with his ninja-like speed that always scares them, throws his book at Jon.

“There will be  _ no  _ strippers, understood?” Jon cries out and rubs at his head, looking at Ryan as if he’s just been betrayed.

“Ow! And Luke’s a grown ass man, he can do what he wants! Besides, it’s not like he’s gonna cheat or something.”

Ryan only rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.

“I’m not talking about Luke, I know he won’t do anything. I meant Smii7y, there’s no way in hell I’m letting you guys ruin his innocent mind.”

“Me and innocence in the same sentence? Sorry,  _ mom,  _ but I haven’t been innocent since I came out the womb with dick already on my mind.”

The rest of the guys walk in as if it’s their second home, which, in many ways it is, and they all watch as Evan makes it clear that he doesn’t want to be anywhere near Jon as he sits far away and glares over at the man. Everyone looks between the two but there’s no comment about the sudden awkwardness.

“I texted you guys to be here two hours ago, what the hell took so long?” Jon had sent out a group text that morning, so that everyone could come up with a plan for his bachelor party only days away, which, Luke still wasn’t entirely thrilled about.

“Listen, I woke up late and needed to eat breakfast, it’s the most important meal of the day y’know.”

“But it’s 3 in the afternoon?”

Smii7y points a finger at Jon, “You’re totally right, but I said I woke up late, and by late I mean an hour ago.”

“Why are we here again?” Brock finally speaks up, and Luke doesn’t miss the way Jon eyes him, as he’s sitting pretty close to Evan, who has yet to say anything.

“Luke’s bachelor party, duh! Why is no one as excited about this as I am? Also, Ryan, what are you still doing here? You’re the groom, you’re not supposed to know what the other person is planning!”

“Wait, Ryan’s not going?” He hadn’t really considered the fact that Ryan wasn’t invited, although if they’re going about it the traditional way, then it makes sense.

“Of course not! We’re your groomsmen, so we plan something for you and only you.”

“But Ryan doesn’t have any groomsmen.” They all look at Evan, and then, realization finally dawns on them. He completely forgot that the guys were all going to be standing on his side, so then Evan was right, Ryan really didn’t have anybody to stand beside him, did he?

Brock speaks softly as if he doesn’t want to offend him, “Do you...really not have anyone?”

They all turn to look at Ryan, who just smiles sheepishly.

“Actually, I do have people, some old friends of mine are flying down tonight.”

“Friends? I thought we were your only friends?”

Ryan rolls his eyes and sighs in exasperation, “Yes, Jon,  _ friends, _ I did have a life before I met you guys.”

“Who are they? You’ve only talked about your past briefly, and I don’t remember you mentioning anyone.” The thought unnerved Luke a bit, to know that there were still things Ryan withheld from him. He knows he’s a lot more open about his life than Ryan, but he kinda figured that after years he’d at least know about his so called old friends. 

“Well, because, they’re my old team.”

Oh,  _ oh. _

That means, then, these guys are enemies. It’s one thing to be accepting of Ryan, considering he was an important part of Luke’s life, and he rarely took missions anymore, but having  _ the enemy side  _ come into his home and attend his wedding, was something entirely different.

There’s an awkward silence that settles over them all, and the guys look at each other, all of whom wear an uneasy expression.

“Can’t wait to meet them?” Smii7y offers, and they quickly nod along with him, murmuring words of “ _ sounds like fun” _ . They watch as Ryan lets out a breath, before standing and giving them a soft smile.

“Thanks, guys, this means a lot. I haven’t seen them in years, and they’re really cool, I swear, I’m sure you’ll all get along.” He waves as he gathers his things and makes his way upstairs, and the silence that lingers is painful.

“So...are you really okay with this, Luke? It’s kinda our job to take down these guys, and now they’re coming to your wedding?”

Brock, for once, looks unsure about accepting people, and Luke gnaws at his lip.

“I don’t really know what to think of it, but I trust Ryan, and if he says these guys are cool then I’ll take his word for it. You’ll all be here tonight, though, right? To help me keep an eye on them?”

“Of course! We’ll be here to help kick some ass if any of them tries anything funny.” Jon pumps his fist in the air, and he hears Evan’s soft, but fond, sigh.

Smii7y yawns, and stretches across the couch, “Honestly, I’m only staying to watch the drama. It’ll be like a soap opera, except not on tv, and it’s with my friends.” 

Brock stands and walks over to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Luke. I’m sure everything will turn out fine.” He gives a small smile, but Luke can only close his eyes and sigh, praying the night really did turn out okay.

**

It’s hours later, when the guys are all laid out and watching whatever Jon has on, with Ryan cooking dinner in the kitchen, that there’s a knock on the door. 

Jon catches his eye while everyone else freezes, and they both make a run for it, shoving at each other so that they make it to the door first.

He wins, and swings it open, where he’s met with four men. They all look...intense, to kindly put it. One of them wears glasses, but unlike stereotypes, he looks nothing like a nerd, and more like someone who’s ready to fuck shit up. The one next to him looks young, and Luke’s reminded of Smii7y. The other two are the more… intimidating ones. One is dark skinned, and though he slouches slightly, his stance shows that he’s ready for anything. The last one closest to him, who stands in front of the others, (Luke has a sneaky suspicion that he’s the leader) is by far the more rugged looking one. His eyes are a striking blue that pierce through him and make Luke feel exposed. Not to mention that he’s a  _ giant. _

His arms are crossed and he looks wholly unimpressed by Luke’s gawking. Jon peeks his head around his shoulder, and lets out a, “holy shit, you’re tall.”

The guys behind the taller one are looking around the outside of the house, taking in the flowers Ryan planted, and the little decorations both Luke and Ryan picked out when they first moved in. Judging by the looks on their faces, they, too, aren’t impressed.

“Uh, can I help you?” He knows who they are, knows these are the guys Ryan was talking about, but still, a small part of him hopes they’re just looking for directions to the local bar, a place that looks suiting for them.

“We’re here for Ohm, heard he’s getting married.” Ohm? Luke frowns, having never heard of the name, and glances back at Jon, who shrugs.

“I don’t-” 

“Tyler?” They all turn to see Ryan standing there, a dishrag over his shoulder as he stares with wide eyes.

“Holy shit, you guys actually came!” The guy, ‘Tyler’, smiles a crooked smile and pushes past Luke.

“Well if it isn’t our little man, Ohm, looking like someone’s goddamn trophy wife.” Ryan briefly catches his eye when the name  _ Ohm _ is said again, but his attention reverts back to the others as they pile inside.

Luke and Jon slowly walk back to the living room as Ryan hugs their guests, and Smii7y raises his eyebrow when he sees them and mouths, “well?”

There’s no time to answer because Ryan is walking in with the four trailing behind him.

“Boys, meet my old team, Tyler, Marcel, Craig, and John.”

Jon, being Jon, points a finger at the younger looking one, and cries out, “That’s my name!”

“Congrats, dude, we share a common, boring, name.” He plops down next to Smii7y and winks. It’s both unnerving and amusing to see Smii7y blush before he huffs and looks away, even if he does keep glancing over at the guy John.

“Anyways, guys, that’s Brock, Smii7y, Evan, Jon, and this,” He says, walking over to Luke and wrapping an arm around his waist, “this is Luke, my fiance.” The term still makes Luke feel giddy, so he can’t help it when he leans down to place a kiss on Ryan’s head.

The guy, Marcel, mutters “gross” before walking off and into the kitchen, where Luke sees him digging through the fridge.

Craig smiles at the two of them, and so far he seems like the more friendly one.

“Can I just point out that you look really good, Ohm. I don’t remember ever seeing you so...happy? So whoever you are, Luke, congrats on making our boy look so radiant.” 

There’s that name again, and he furrows his eyebrows down at Ryan.

“Can I ask why you guys call Ryan, Ohm?” The arm still wrapped around his waist tenses slightly, before it relaxes and Ryan looks up at him, smiling tightly.

“That’s a story for another time, babe. We can talk-”

“Wait.” They glance back at Brock whose attention is completely on Ryan.

“Is Ohm short for...Ohmwrecker?” Craig goes to stand by Ryan and squeezes his shoulder, smiling like a proud mom.

“That’s him! Dude was known for his crazy interrogations, and how brutal he was when getting information.”

Oh, fuck.

Evan, who’s been quietly observing, sits up with wide eyes.

“You’re Ohmwrecker? Ryan, you do know there’s a crazy bounty for you, right? You know a lot of information,  _ highly secretive information. _ ” He turns to Brock who’s looking at Ryan with a blank stare, and though Luke isn’t afraid of Brock anymore, the fear he once had creeps up slowly.

“Brock, one of our missions is to bring him in. I-  _ what do we do? _ ” Ryan has long since slid his arm from around Luke, and he stands defensively with his arms crossed, while he stares down Brock in a way Luke’s never seen.

It becomes overwhelmingly tense, and he sees Tyler from the corner of his eye slowly move his hand around his waist and Luke starts to panic because, fuck, he probably has a gun on him. He’s pretty sure they all do, but he definitely doesn’t want to have a gun fight in the middle of his home.

Jon, for once, looks deadly serious as he assess Ryan, and though Luke is beyond furious and hurt that Ryan never told him who he really was, he stands in front of him, blocking him from his team’s view, and turns to Brock. 

“Brock…” There’s a warning hidden within the one word that he desperately hopes he doesn’t have to act on.

Briefly, he notices the guy Marcel walk out of the kitchen with an apple in his hand as he watches everything go down.

Brock stands, only making eye contact with Luke for a second before he shifts his gaze over to Tyler who stands like a brick wall behind them.

“You’re Wildcat, then?” Tyler gives a short nod, and Brock looks around at the other guys. Craig is still standing by Ryan, gaze firm and lips set in a straight line. John has yet to leave his spot on the couch, where he sits lazily, an arm thrown back behind Smii7y’s tense form, and watches with uninterested eyes. Marcel is leaning against the wall, and though he seems bored and entirely focused on his apple, Luke can see his eyes scanning every person in the room.

The tense silence lasts for a couple more minutes as everyone waits to see what Brock will do, before finally, he lets out a slow breath and rakes a hand down his face.

“We’ve known Ryan for almost four years now, and never once has he done anything to seem untrustworthy. I don’t know who you were back then, but I know who you are now, and I trust that person completely. I won’t turn you in, but know that from now on I’ll be keeping a close eye on you, and if I think you do even  _ one thing  _ out of line, you’re done for.”

“Well,” Marcel drawls from across the room, “You’d have to get through us, first.”

Ryan comes out from behind Luke, and moves to stand in front of Brock. It’s a testament on Brock’s end to show much he trusts Ryan, by standing still and defenseless.

“Thank you, Brock. I’m not...who I was back then. A huge part of that is because I met Luke and all of you guys, and I would never do anything to break that trust we all have for each other.”

Brock gives a soft smile and nudges Ryan, “It’s okay, I believe you.”

Although Luke is still upset, he lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, and places a comforting hand on Ryan’s back.

“This is sweet and everything, but I’m fucking starving.” John is still slouching on the couch, and Luke watches as Smii7y looks him over before grinning.

“Same, guys. I’m a growing boy over here, I need to eat.”

“Oh, I’ve got something for you to eat.” Both Craig and Jon pretend to barf.

Ryan, however, pulls out the handgun he always carries with him out of _somewhere,_ that Luke doesn’t dare to ask, and points it at John’s frowning face.

“Don’t even think about it.”

“Well technically I already thought about it, considering I said it outloud.”

He hears Jon whisper to Evan, (who looks as if he’s not listening but really hangs onto every word) “he sounds just like Smii7y.”

He notices Tyler slowly start to unwind, his stance softening, and though the night started in the wrong direction, Luke has hope that the rest of it will go by smoothly.

**

If there’s one thing Luke knows about Ryan, it’s that he actually doesn’t know much about Ryan, or at least, the life he lead before they met. He knows they come from different backgrounds, different environments, has heard of what the enemy-  _ defending _ teams get up to, (Ryan hates when Luke always refers to them as enemies, even if they technically are) so it’s a little concerning to hear his stories of his ‘prime’ days, and the escapades him and his old team would get into. 

They’re currently sitting around the dining table, eating the food Ryan cooked for them. The tense atmosphere that was present earlier has since drained, instead replaced by a cozy environment as they all tell stories and drink their beers.

“Wait, back up for a sec here, you guys did  _ what? _ ” Smii7y, for once, looks dumbfounded and at a loss for words.

Quietly, he hears Jon’s muttered words of, “holy shit, he  _ can  _ be speechless.”

“We just, y’know, goofed off a lot of the times.” Ryan shrugs as if it’s not a big deal, which to him it’s probably not, but even Brock looks doubtful. He thinks that as if Brock being concerned for one of them is a new thing, when really the guy always walks around with a look that entailed he was worried about something, probably for their safety. He did work with a bunch of children, after all.  

Tyler snorts from where he sits.

“I think ‘goofing off’ is putting it too lightly. Acted like a bunch of dumbasses, maybe.”

“You guys remember that one time John almost blew us up with his nitro cell?”

“That’s because you came at me first, Marcel. You threw that grenade at me.”

“I was  _ aiming  _ for the wall next to you, not my fault you moved.”

Tyler looks at them with the same look Brock often gives. Brock’s eyes water with finally finding someone who understands the struggle.

“I work with a bunch of idiots.”

“Like you’re one to talk, Tyler. You and Marcel are both asses, leaving Ohm-  _ Ryan  _ and I barricaded and standing in your stupid fucking toxic gas. I’m pretty sure that shit fucked with my brain cells.”

Smii7y’s looking at John in wonder and Luke understands the feeling. Ryan could do some stupid things sometimes, but it only added to his attraction for the man, somehow. Living recklessly was apparently a turn on.

“And you guys...survived through all of this?” Brock is staring at Ryan with such wide, concerned eyes that even Marcel gives a soft  _ aww _ .

“Craig over there used to be a doctor before he was recruited, so he always patched us up if things got out of hand.”

They look over to Craig who smiles wide and waves, “Graduated at the top of my class. Too bad my skills have to be wasted on these morons and their childish behavior.” 

Brock, again, looks as if he wants to cry with understanding.

The rest of the night is spent with laughter and light banter, but Luke is just surprised that they all connect so well. There was a silent agreement that everyone would spend the night at their place, seeing as it was already late and Ryan didn’t want anyone driving anywhere.

It’s when they’re finally alone and in their room that Ryan turns to him with hopeful eyes.

“Well, what do you think? Do you like them?”

Luke sighs and flops down on the bed, closing his eyes at the pleasure of finally being able to lay down and relax his muscles.

“I admit I thought I wasn’t going to like them, but they’re actually nice guys. Funny, too.” He gives a soft ‘oof’ when a weight suddenly settles over him, and he opens his eyes to see Ryan straddling his lap and leaning over, his face inches away.

Sadly, however, by his stare, the new position isn’t meant to imply anything. Yet, hopefully.

“Can we talk, about earlier?” Ryan looks worried, and Luke sighs, running a thumb over the smooth skin on his hips.

“Why did you never say anything?” He asks straight away, watching as Ryan shrugs slightly and briefly glances to the sheets next to his head.

“Didn’t want to scare you off.  _ Ohmwrecker  _ is dangerous and seen as a monster who’s not meant to be trusted. I didn’t want any of that with you, didn’t want to introduce you to that side of me. Was scared, really, that you’d hate me for everything I’ve done and want nothing to do with me.”

Luke cups his neck, running the pad of his finger over a soft jawline, and waits until Ryan meets his eyes again.

“Hey, I could never hate you, I mean that. I don’t care about what happened in the past, only now, and you’re the most generous, loving person I know, besides Brock of course.” Ryan laughs at that and Luke smiles, happy to know he was lightening his lover’s mood.

“To be fair, though, it’s not like I was very secretive about it. I mean, I paint my face as a skull, Luke. Not my fault you guys never caught on.”

Luke rolls his eyes, a playful smile on his lips, because, yeah, maybe they were too blind to see the facts staring them in the face, but only because Ryan is nothing like who they’ve been told Ohmwrecker is, and so they never connected the dots.

“Besides all of that, I love you, Ryan,  _ all  _ of you, and I never want you to feel as if you have hide anything in fear of me hating you.” Ryan stares at him for a few seconds before grinning, and lowering his head, planting a small kiss on the tip of Luke’s nose.

“You big cheese ball.” Luke swats at his shoulder, and Ryan only laughs as he sits up, placing his hands on Luke’s chest as he gazes with such a fond look that makes Luke’s heart soar.

“I love you too, you know, and your adorable stress face.”

“I am  _ not stressed. _ ” 

**

The next couple of days pass by in a blur. Luke definitely wasn’t expecting for them to all get along so well. Smii7y and John are nearly inseparable, (much to Ryan’s disliking). Evan still refuses to talk to Jon, and if he isn’t with Brock, then he was usually talking with Marcel. Craig and Jon are almost one in the same, and were constantly talking about random shit that only they could care about. Tyler and Brock were still a little weary of each other, but even they were relaxed enough to sit in silence and watch their ‘boys’. 

There’s only two more days until the actual wedding, which meant tonight was the bachelor party. Luke was a bit more excited about it due to the fact that Ryan was going. Although Jon disagreed, and still does, it only made sense that their whole group form to make one big bachelor party outing, seeing as how they’re both dudes anyways.

“I still think we should go to a strip club.”

They’re all packed inside their living room, coming up with ideas for the night, and Jon keeps grumbling to himself about how much he hates that they’re not going where he wants to.

“Jon, we’re not going to a strip club, okay? We’re grown men. We’ll just go out for a few drinks and then come back here for the night, except Smii7y, of course.”

A loud groan can be heard from the kitchen and Jon snickers. Since Smii7y was technically underage, he would have to stay behind, although not alone, seeing as how John quickly volunteered to stay with him, even if they did find out that he was actually older than Craig. Babyfaces sure did play mind tricks.

They all agree with that decision though, seeing as how it sounded simple enough, except, apparently, all of them are lightweights who can’t hold down their alcohol.

It starts with the way some guy wouldn’t stop chatting with Evan, and how Evan plays into it, because, well, he’s drunk and mad at Jon. Jon, who was watching with both sad and furious eyes, until the guy got a little too close.

That’s how it starts, and then somehow they all get involved. Jon is an angry drunk, and the poor guy didn’t even get to say one word before there was a fist connecting with his face. His friends, understandably, didn’t like that very much. There’s about five of them that try and gang up on Jon, and though Evan was still pissed, he jumped in to help, except then, the biggest surprise of all, is when Brock, of all people, sees what’s going on, and then all hell breaks loose.

Brock rushes over, smashing his bottle over one of the guy’s heads, and the whole bar apparently wants to get in on the fight.

It doesn’t take much for Craig to get involved, he was actually the more sober one, but he had still jumped up and ran at the forming crowd, yelling, “Ya’ll ready to get  _ beat! _ ”

Somewhere along the way, Tyler gets hit with a chair, and then all hell breaks loose, v.2.0. Tyler is  _ scary,  _ with his towering figure throwing bodies left and right, a mad glint shining in his eyes. What’s more scary, though, is Ryan, who  _ leaps  _ from table to table, tackling people and bringing down men twice his size.

Marcel proves to be the only sane one, settling himself in the far back, on the only chair still available, drinking whatever alcohol he has, and watching the scene before him. He dodges everything thrown his way, kicking the legs out from under guys who get too close. If Luke weren’t in the middle of a fist fight, he’d applaud the dude for his badassery.

So it’s starts with fists, tables, and chairs flying, but it ends with Jon standing on the bar and waving his gun around, accompanied with Ryan leaning over shaking grown men, a knife to their throat, as he sneers out, “ _ Tell me what you know.” _

The next seconds are a blur of people screaming, cops rushing in, and being manhandled out of the bar. Well, Marcel goes willingly, Luke and the others are still too drunk and think the cops are bad guys storming into their base.

There’s a lot of yelling, but eventually the cops are able to get them all inside the cars and haul their asses behind the small cells within the station. A lot of questions are asked, that he would have gladly answered, except, that while the others seem to be the more reckless and angry drunks, he’s a sleepy one. So, within the first minute of him sitting with his back pressed against cold stone, while the guys yell profanities and shake the bars, he’s asleep.

He wakes up because there’s an annoying sound that won’t stop, just like the pounding in his head, and he blearily opens his eyes to see Smii7y and John, standing on the opposite side, taking pictures.

“What’re you guys doing?” He mumbles, and Smii7y turns his phone toward him, waving behind the screen.

“Say cheese!” The flash is on, he doesn’t know  _ why,  _ considering there’s a window with sunlight shining through.

“Jesus, you guys look like shit.” John helpfully adds, snickering when Luke gives him the finger as he tries to sit up with stiff muscles.

He looks around and sees everyone passed out, (with the exception of Marcel who’s sitting on the bench, reading a magazine-he doesn’t want to ask from where, seeing as how there’s nothing that entails he got it from within the cell) drool sliding down chins, and mouths parched. They really do look like shit. Ryan is closest to him, no surprise there, even when they’re drunk they still find their way back to each other.

He kicks Ryan’s leg with his foot, not having enough energy to do anything else.

“Ryan, wake up. Your kid is bullying me.”

Ryan stirs slightly, and a tongue sneaks out to wet dry lips, “Smii7y, leave him alone.”

John raises his eyebrow, glancing over at Smii7y, “It’s a little creepy how he immediately knew he was talking about you.”

“Could you all talk any louder? For fuck’s sakes the whole goddamn city can hear you.” They look over and see Tyler sitting up, grumbling to himself and resembling a kid throwing a tantrum.

“We’re hungover, everything sounds exceptionally louder and annoying.” Brock sounds quiet but it’s probably because his face is still squished against the floor.

Jon and Evan, surprisingly, are cuddled close together, and the farthest ones away. Luke, being a good friend, and extremely hungover, throws his shoe at them.

“Hey! You asses finally make up?” He remembers too late that Jon doesn’t like to be woken up with such suddenness, because he jumps up, a small scream leaving his lips. He looks around with wild eyes, his hair sticking up in every direction, and he looks so  _ spooked  _ that Luke feels a little bad.

He finally notices the pair of eyes staring at him, and he slowly deflates, his brain catching up with everything around him.

“You okay there, bud? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

Jon smacks his lips, looking at Smii7y with a blank stare, “Considering how pale you are, I think I’m looking at one right now.”

“Touche.”

“What’s the deal with you and Evan, huh?” Jon looks down at Evan still sleeping next to him and shrugs, looking back over at Luke.

“I don’t remember anything from last night.” It’s then that Evan finally stirs awake, almost as if Jon’s voice is his alarm system, and they all watch as he stretches and notices Jon, before frowning and scooting away.

“You’re still mad at me? I...I don’t even know what I did.” He looks  _ hurt  _ and Luke feels for him. This is the longest they’ve ever had a fight, and he knows Jon must be dying inside. 

There’s a staring contest between the two before Evan finally sighs, his tense form relaxing, and seemingly gives up.

“I was upset because... you were paying more attention to your  _ teddy bear  _ than me.” It’s silent for a few seconds as everyone processes what was just said, and then Jon leaps at the guy, throwing his arms around Evan’s neck.

“I’m so sorry, Evan! Mr. Teddy can never replace you!” There’s a lot of kissing and hugging, and Luke has to look away because it’s disgustingly adorable.

“Did I hear that right? They were fighting...over a stuffed bear that Jon has actually named?”

Brock snorts from where he still lays, briefly opening an eye to glance over at Tyler.

“You get used to it after a while.”

Craig, apparently being awake the entire time, glares up at the ceiling.

“I love how you guys have yet to ask how I am.”

“Were you even drunk last night? You’re the only one who actually looks decent, besides Marcel, dude isn’t even human.”

“Can we get going already? If we stay any longer those two lovebirds over there are gonna actually start fucking in front of us.” Smii7y’s right, and with one look at Jon and Evan, they all rush to stand and squeeze out of the door cell.

John and Smii7y bail them out of course, much to the cops’ dismay, (they have yet to figure out why they’re all carrying such exotic guns) and they manage to pile inside Smii7y’s small car, smelling like stale alcohol and bad morning breath.  

Ryan sits on his lap, head pillowed on his chest as he sleeps the whole way home. Luke only smiles fondly and wraps his arms around him, because although he imagined their bachelor party going a lot smoother, he has to admit that he enjoyed it wholeheartedly, especially because he was surrounded by a group that’s quickly becoming his family.

**

It’s finally the wedding day, and Luke is  _ freaking out. _

They decided to just have everything done in the backyard, seeing as how every place they wanted was booked, and overly priced. Craig and Smii7y were in charge of decorating everything, with Jon’s not so helpful comments in the background.

Marcel was their savior. He called the florists and bakers, making sure everything was done and ready, and would be there on time. Brock’s been running all over the house, making sure the boys didn’t screw up anything, while simultaneously hovering over both Luke and Ryan, making sure neither had thoughts of doubt or chickened out.

He’s pacing inside the guest bedroom, his suit on and ready to go, when there’s a light knock on the door and Tyler walks in. They haven’t actually been able to sit and chat just one on one, and Luke would be lying if he said he wasn’t intimidated.

“How’s he doing?” He asks, knowing Tyler’s been with Ryan all morning, and wanting to reassure himself the other wasn’t having second thoughts.

Tyler looks him over and grins, “Same as you, apparently, both of you look scared shitless.”

Was that a good thing? Were they supposed to be scared? His pacing picked up speed. 

“Hey, I just wanted to say that I’m glad you guys found each other.” He stops mid pace, looking to Tyler with a questioning gaze at the sudden randomness.

He shrugs, kicking at the carpeted floor, “You know, I hated you, before ever meeting you.” He laughs softly and Luke fidgets, not sure where he’s going with this.

“You took him away from us, and then, we get here and see him look like some  _ housewife _ . I remember wanting to strangle you, thought you made him into someone he wasn’t.” He looks at Luke then, giving a crooked smile.

“We’ve only ever seen Ryan as the silent, stealthy, killer. But with you he’s this loud, outgoing,  _ lively  _ person, and I realize, now, that he’s exactly who he should be, and that’s all thanks to you. And- jesus, are you crying?”

He sniffs, wiping tears from his eyes, “It’s just so  _ nice. _ ”

Tyler stares at him for a moment before throwing his head back and laughing, “God, all of you are so...emotional.”

It goes silent for a while, but it’s nice and Luke’s glad that he’s connected with each of these guys in some way.

He watches as Tyler makes for the door, only to stop and look over at him one last time.

“I won’t ask him to come back, even if we all miss him. So i’m expecting invitations in the mail to every holiday and gathering you guys have, understood?”

“Of course, dude, consider yourselves apart of this dysfunctional group we have.”

Tyler leaves with a satisfied nod, and Luke blows out a breath of air, somehow feeling more confident about everything that’s soon to happen.

**

They walk out together, hand in hand, and he sees Jon’s watery smile as he points at him, yelling, “That’s my best friend!” 

Smii7y and John stand across from each other, smiling and blushing, and he rolls his eyes fondly.

It’s a small wedding, but it’s more than what he could have ever imagined. His friends cheer him on with big grins and small thumbs ups, he sees Craig with tears in his eyes, and even Marcel, who always seems composed, wipes at a stray tear.

And then there’s Ryan, who squeezes his hand tightly, and looks up at him through his eyelashes, a soft look in his eyes as they stand before the priest, who starts with a calm and soothing voice, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”

It’s hard to pay attention to anything he says after that, his attention too busy taking in the sight of Ryan. He’s beautiful, as always, but the glow illuminating around him makes him all the more breathtaking. And for once, his emotions dance behind his eyes, and Luke can make out the fondness, the vulnerability, and the  _ love. _

He looks like a man in love, and Luke smiles wide and kisses him when it’s time, because he knows the blushed cheeks and gentle smile is reserved solely for him.

Everyone vanishes when Ryan kisses him, cheers fall on deaf ears, and his lips taste like strawberries and the red wine Luke knows he can’t go without, and it’s all so Ryan that Luke nearly melts. It’s the taste of everything he’s come to love since meeting him, of blood and sweat on that first night they met, of the cheesecake they ate the first time they had sex, and now, after all these years, it’s the taste of home.

They pull away only when their lungs ache, and rest their foreheads together, when Ryan whispers, “You remember what you told me, that night we met, when we nearly killed each other?”

He closes his eyes, smiling as the memory easily surfaces of him pinned beneath Ryan, a blade to his throat, and Jon screaming in his ear. Remembers being dazed from blood loss, amazed as such deadly, but vibrant eyes stared into him, and he had spoken without much thought, “I’ll gladly die by your hands if it means your beauty is the last image I take with me.”

He feels the breathy laugh leave Ryan’s lips, and opens his eyes to stare into ones that even now, leave him speechless.

“I always tell you that you were crazy for saying that, and I always poke fun at you for it, but, I’ve never told you until now, that I was thinking the same thing.”

Luke brushes his lips over Ryan’s nose, and says, “Something tells me that even back then, I knew, and that’s why I constantly searched for you.”

Only a few more seconds pass of them just gazing into each other’s eyes, when there’s a soft cough and the distinctive voice of Jon’s, “You guys are really cute, but I want to stop clapping now so can we move this along?”

The guys are watching with fond smiles, some with tears still in their eyes, and Luke wraps his arm around Ryan’s shoulders, pulling him in close, as he gazes at all the people he’s come to love.

“C’mon, fellas, we’ve got a wedding to celebrate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fucK, there's so much fluff at the end I'd say i'm sorry but i'm not because there can never be too much fluff!! :')
> 
> And the next part will be their first time meeting each other!


	3. How it all began

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just meant to show how they met, so that the first two give insight to how far they've come and changed.

 

The night starts with Luke on a date, a very horrible, boring date. The woman across from him is entirely engrossed with her phone, slurping the soup she ordered, and Luke knows he can be a bit standoffish at first, but fuck, she could at least pretend to be interested. Instead they’ve only said a few words, lame jokes, and shared awkward stares. 

It was Jon’s idea, to set him up on a blind date, because apparently he’s turning into a ‘lonely grumpy man’. Not too far from the truth, but it’s not like it bothered him, being alone. He hadn’t had a real relationship in years, instead settling with quick one night stands when he needed to let off some steam. It was mainly due to the fact that it’s especially hard to find someone with his line of work; they get calls at all hours of the day about new missions, which, who knew how long they would take, and if they would even  _ survive  _ to make it back home.

It was easier, to be alone, and not have to think about someone waiting up for him, or  _ worrying  _ about him as he rushes into buildings guns blazing. So he likes being single, but he can’t deny that it does get lonely in his one bedroom condo, so he had reluctantly, (not really) agreed to Jon’s plan. What a terrible decision, although this is Jon, so he definitely should’ve known it would be shit.  

“So… how’s the soup?” He lamely asks, repressing a sigh as she briefly glances up and shrugs.

“I’ve had better.” Great, what an excellent response to help get a conversation going.

Miraculously, by the heaven’s above, he gets a text from Brock.

_ New mission. Be here in 10 _

He grins and quickly stands, ignoring the confused look the girl gives him.

“I just got an urgent text from my friend, he’s having a heart attack or something.”

“And you’re smiling?” He looks up from rummaging through his wallet, throwing down two 20’s, knowing the meals together were way less than $40 but not caring, he just desperately wanted to leave.

“Uh, yeah, I smile when I’m nervous. Anyways, nice meeting you...” He doesn’t remember her name so he waves and practically runs out of there, happy to be done with the shitshow he was previously trapped in.  

He easily finds his car, (the only true babe in his life) and speeds it out of there, pushing the evening into the far corners of his mind.

A small part of him is disappointed that the date didn’t work, disappointed that he has the worst luck when it comes to romance, and disappointed that he’s even disappointed in the first place. He’s just engulfed by a wave of disappointment, and he turns up the radio until the loud pop song is all he hears, blocking out any thoughts that aim to bring him down and make him drown in his own self pity. 

He shows up late, he may or may not have gotten a little  _ too  _ lost in the music, (he had to pull over on the freeway and dance for a bit, not only because he almost wrecked, but goddamn that was a good song) and he walks in still whistling to the beat.

The boys are already gathered around the meeting table, and they look up as he saunters in, bopping his head.

Jon grins, nudging Evan until he gets shoved back out of annoyance, “Look at you, all happy and shit! I did good then, right? I  _ knew  _ she would be perfect for you, didn’t I say that Evan?”

Smii7y snorts from where he sits, slouched back in his seat and looking entirely bored. Luke briefly wonders how long they’ve been waiting.

“No, what you said was, ‘ _ She’s the complete opposite of him but I hope he’s desperate enough that he doesn’t notice’,  _ and then you two made out in front of me. This literally happened last night, how have you already forgotten?”

“Look! The point is it worked out, and it’s all thanks to me!”

“Actually,” he cuts in, pointedly not looking at Brock as he takes his seat, (the guy makes him  _ anxious,  _ okay) “the date was horrible. I’m never going on a date set up by you again.”

Jon’s grin falls, and he pouts, glaring at the table, “It was Evan’s idea anyways.”

Evan looks over at Jon offended, swatting at his shoulder, “Hey! Don’t blame this shit on me. I told you to just let him live his life.”

Brock coughs, gathering their attention, though he knows it won’t last long, and waves the file in his hand gently.

“I hate to break this up, but we have a mission that really needs to be discussed.”

Smii7y groans, hanging his head over the back of the chair, “Didn’t we have a mission just two days ago? My arm is still stitched from when that asshole shot me.”

“You’re the one that just ran in without thinking, the guy was standing there in plain sight, and you completely passed him.”

“Evan, when have you ever known me to think while on a mission? That’s my thing, I just shoot and hope someone ends up with one of my bullets stuck in em’.”

Brock gives up on standing and trying to look professional so he sits down, hunching over and sighing, leaning his head against his hand.

“Brock, what’s the mission?” He finally asks, because although he may not trust the guy completely, he would have already blown a fuse by now, and so he has to at least give the dude credit for being so patient.

“Hostage.” He mutters, cheek pressed firmly against his hand, but really, that’s all they need to know.

Jon, being the adult child that he is, actually stomps his feet.

“Fuck! I hate dealing with hostages, they don’t ever  _ listen. _ I say, ‘hey, move your ass!’ and they just sit there crying, because apparently  _ I’m  _ the bad guy.”

“Wasn’t it decided that you’re not allowed to secure the hostage? You always scare them and make things worse.”

Brock agrees, nodding his head over at Smii7y, “Yeah please don’t go near them, leave that to Smii7y, they always seem to trust him more. Or Evan, too, but just not you.”

Jon point an accusing finger over at Luke, “What about him? Aren’t you gonna tell him anything?”

“What do you mean what about me? I can’t get close to where the hostage is even if I wanted to, I’m too busy making sure your dumbasses didn’t overlook anything and there isn’t someone sneaking up on us.”

Smii7y shrugs, “He’s got a point.”

“Anyways, Jon, don’t go near them, and we really should start heading out now. The sun sets in about an hour, and the place is nearly 40 minutes away, so get whatever you need and let’s go.”

Jon stands, full on grin on his face as he salutes, “Aye, aye sir!”

**

It’s night by the time they get there, dark in the van that’s parked miles back. Brock looks at them from the rearview mirror, nodding his head, a miniscule movement that captures all their attention. 

“Let’s get in and get out. No messing around, and no dying, got it?”

Smii7y pushes past him, making for the door, “If I die I give you all permission to conjure up my ghost from some black magic shit and kill me again.”

“Can you kill a ghost?” Smii7y rolls his eyes at Jon, huffing.

“The point is I would have to be a complete idiot to get myself killed which means I would totally be okay with you guys contacting some witch from the west and have her do a séance to bring me back to life only to kill me again.”

“ _ What?” _

“Jesus, can we  _ go? _ ”

They do, finally. Luke sighs as they make their way to the building, shooting out street cameras that are most likely hijacked by the enemy. Smii7y and Brock are almost in by the time both him and Jon get in view of the place. He gives Jon one last look before they split off.

The building has three floors, and Luke rappels up to the third, swinging in and immediately turning on his Eyenox Model. There’s two sets of footprints but he scans the ones lined in red, the most recent ones. It’s a few seconds before his scanner pings, and he sees that the person is hiding in the room across from his.

They must know, because he catches them as they try and run out. The guy is moving so fast though that the first bullet misses, and then he’s turning on him, aware of how close Luke is. It quickly becomes a gunfight, and Luke races back into the room he was just in, bullets spraying through the thin wall and barely missing him. 

He switches from the handgun he was previously holding to the shotgun always strapped on him, and crawls toward the entrance of the door, making sure he’s not exposed, before tossing a smoke grenade. He knows that allows for a small window of time, and he runs out, hoping the guy can’t see him, and just starts shooting.

He must hit him, because there’s a shout of pain, but because he can’t see anything yet he waits. Once the smoke has cleared, he finally sees the guy on the ground, and it’s an easy kill from there. He doesn’t even need to waste anymore bullets so he puts his shotgun away, and knives the dude.

“I got one, there was another set of prints though, so that’ll be two down. Only three left.”

“Two, actually. Killed one who was too busy with Brock.” Smii7y pipes up, breathing heaving, but Luke knows it’s more from a rush than actual exertion.

“The other two must be protecting the hostage then. Find the last guy, Luke.” He’s already got his device turned back on, scanning the last pair he sees. It’s another easy scan, with his ping marker showing up on the floor below him.

“He’s just below me. I’ll deal with him.” There’s a soft confirmation from the guys as he walks slowly down the only set of stairs available. He waits on the steps, trying to hear anyone running or shuffling, but it’s completely silent. The only noise comes from the bottom floor, where Evan explodes open walls and Jon smashes through windows.

Just to be sure the guy is still on the same floor as him, he waits the ten seconds it takes for another ping to show up. He frowns as he’s alerted of their new position only a couple rooms down the hall. He hadn’t heard anything, and he slowly walks down, a heavy feeling setting him on edge.

He stops just short of the room, breathing quietly and preparing for what he knows will be another gunfight. The short walk gave him enough time for his device to give him one last ping, and all the air rushes out of him as the marker shows up.

He freezes, tensing up, and grips onto his handgun tighter. The hairs on the back of his neck stand, and it’s as if time slows down, all because the ping didn’t show up in the room he’s currently standing in front of like it should have. It showed up behind him.

He can hear the slight shift in the air as the person gains on him, and he turns, raising the handgun and aiming at a face staring back at him. Luke stares at the end of a barrel, much like the other guy, and together they stand there, not moving a muscle as guns are pointed directly at their faces.

The guy has his face painted to resemble a skull, and if Luke weren’t in the predicament that he was in, he’d laugh at the absurdity of it. The stranger narrows their eyes, and Luke gets chills from how cold they are. 

“How-” his voice comes out raspy, and he coughs, watching as the guys eyes never leave his, “how did you get behind me?”

He should be in the room, and yet somehow he’s ended up trailing behind Luke. It doesn’t make sense, Luke would’ve seen him leave, would’ve  _ heard  _ him, so  _ how _ ? The guy smirks, the paint around his lips cracking slightly, and it’s so unusual that Luke is left speechless.

“I have my ways.” The words are murmured so quietly and it looks as if his lips don’t even move, but Luke hears him clear as day, and he’s surprised to think the voice sounded nice,  _ silky  _ even.

They still have yet to move, each assessing how to get out of the situation without getting shot in the face, and it’s so quiet that it puts him further on edge, that is, until, Jon screams in his earpiece.

“Luke! Where are you? Smii7y almost has the hostage, there’s just one guy left who’s putting up a fight. Did you find the guy roaming?”

The split second after Jon’s voice comes through, where he’s momentarily caught off guard, the guy strikes. His legs are kicked out from under him, and he’s left breathless as his back hits the ground. Immediately the guy is on him, sending a quick punch that has Luke seeing white for a second.

It would have been enough if it were done to anyone else, but Luke has been in the field for years, has gone through all sorts of training to prepare for when things take a turn for the worse like this. He knees the guy in the stomach, satisfied at the grunt, and flips them when the other’s hold loosens slightly.

He secures his thighs on either side of him, and grins down, spitting the blood from his mouth at the floor just beside the dude’s head.

“That hurt, y’know.”

The receiving glare he gets in return makes him clamp his hands down on tiny wrists even more, and he grunts as the guy bucks up, trying to get out from under him.

He laughs, “Not gonna happen-”

He gets  _ headbutted  _ and he cries out, letting go to grab at his right eye that took the force of the blow, and feet are quickly kicking at him, shoving him back.

The air gets knocked out of him, again, and he looks up to see the guy walking forward, pulling out a small, but very pointed dagger. He quickly rolls and staggers to a stand, barely having enough time to block the swing of the knife. It cuts at his forearms and he hisses, reacting fast enough to elbow the other in the face. 

He watches as the man rubs his mouth with the back of his hand, the paint smearing from both sweat and blood, and he clenches his jaw as he looks over Luke.

“I don’t have time for this.” And then he closes the short distance between them without warning, and Luke only has a second to close his eyes as he’s tackled, his head giving a nasty crunch as it bounces from the force of hitting the ground.

He groans, his vision swimming, as the guy hovers above him, a dark look in his eyes.

“Luke! Why aren’t you answering? Is everything okay?” Jon’s voice rings in his ear, and the thought of dying and leaving his team behind gives him more than enough energy to wrap an arm around an unsuspecting head, flipping the guy onto his back so Luke can get him into a chokehold.

Hands claw at his wrists, and he feels as if he’s going to win the fight, until there’s a sharp pain in his side, right above his ribcage and he immediately lets go, crying out and touching where there’s a throbbing burning sensation, seeing his fingers come back stained in his own blood.

The guy rolls off of him, pulling the knife out as he goes, and Luke has never experienced something so painful in his life. Gunshots he can deal with, but the feeling of a knife leaving his body makes him see stars. Blood leaks from the wound, but from his nose and head as well.

There’s only seconds that pass before the guy is back on him, bloodied knife pressing harshly against his throat, and he stares up into hazel eyes that bore into him. Jon is still screaming in his ear, can hear the other’s panic on what to do, can hear the stern voice of Brock barking out orders, but all of that registers much later.

In the moment, he can only stare at the man above him. Blood runs down his nose, dripping onto Luke’s chest, and the paint has since been smeared, but he can see  _ skin.  _ Cheeks that look smooth and he almost wants to reach up and touch, run the pad of his finger over them and find out if they feel as soft as they look.

The guy must notice something off, because his furrowed eyebrows become less angry and more confused. Luke in all his years, has never seen anyone more beautiful. Maybe it’s the blood loss talking, but the man with a bruise already forming under his eye, and a bloodied lip, is  _ breathtaking. _

He’s going to die, he knows he is. He has no clue where the guys are, or if they could even get to him in time with the amount of blood he’s losing. So he falls limp under the weight of the man, staring into deadly eyes that soften just the slightest, and that alone is an image he wants forever engrained in his head, even after death.

He speaks without much thought, after that, “I’ll gladly die by your hands if it means your beauty is the last image I take with me.” 

The guy freezes, and he looks wholly surprised and confused, “What-”

Luke’s vision starts to swim, but he makes out the sound of a gunshot and a body rolling off of his. Can barely see the guy clutch at his shoulder before he takes off running, and then Jon is all he can see, a frantic look in his eye as he yells at something past them.

“Hey, don’t you die on me now. We’ve been through too much, okay? I don’t know what you’re seeing, but if there’s a light you better turn your ass around.”

He uses the last of his energy to flip him off, watching the watery smile on his best friend’s face,

“Jon...shut up.”

It gets dark after that, and though he should probably be reliving memories of the good times, all he can see one last time is the face of the guy who killed him, a beautiful, bewitching face.

**

He doesn’t die. He knows this by the sound of a heart monitor coming from his left, and the distinctive sound of kissing. 

“Are you bastards actually making out while I’m dying in a hospital bed?” His eyes are still closed, but he knows his friends enough, and he’s been in a hospital so many times it’s practically his second home.

“At least you’ve been knocked out for two days, I had to sit here and watch them try and not fuck each other. I’m sure they would’ve kicked you to the floor if Brock and I weren’t here.” He peeks an eye open at the sound of Smii7y’s voice, seeing him slouching in a chair to his right, a disgusted look directed over at who he assumes are Jon and Evan to his left.

He’s right. The bastards don’t even look ashamed when he looks over, and Jon huffs, pulling away from Evan to flick at Luke’s forehead.

“Calm down ya big baby, you’re not dying. The stab wound didn’t go deep enough, you just lost a lot blood too fast that you fainted.”

“Yeah, well, that doesn’t mean I wanna be waking up to the sound of you assholes sucking each other’s faces off.”

Jon’s smile falls, and he looks down, playing with his fingers. 

He briefly glances back up at Luke, shrugging a shoulder, “Evan is the only one who could calm me down after...seeing you like  _ that. _ ”

His voice has gone soft and Luke feels horrible.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to scare you, or any of you for that matter. I don’t know what happened, I-things just got out of hand.”

“I can tell you what happened, you got your ass beat.”

“Smii7y.” Evan gives him a stern stare, glancing over at Jon, and Luke sighs, running a hand through greasy hair.

“It’s okay, he’s right. I was sloppy...it’s been awhile since someone tried to fight back.” He tries to laugh it off, but the others still look serious. Jon especially.

“We’ll find him, Luke, don’t worry. No one hurts one of us and gets away with it.”

He nods along, tightly smiling and mutters an  _ okay  _ because what else is he supposed to say? That he’d rather be the one to find the guy, to warn him, to get to know him? Even now, when’s got a bandage wrapped around his mid section, and a headache from hell, he can only think of the stranger in a way he’s most definitely not supposed to.

He can’t tell the guys that, they wouldn’t understand, and even  _ he  _ doesn’t fully understand why he’s so interested in someone who tried to kill him, but he’s determined to find out.

The door opens and Brock walks in, looking surprised to see Luke awake, before he smiles wide.

“Glad you’re up, Luke, these guys wouldn’t stop crying.”

“Hey! My eyes were only watering because of my allergies.”

Luke watches the boys bicker around him, and he smiles, happy to know he wasn’t leaving them anytime soon.

**

He becomes a bit obsessed. The man has yet to leave his mind, and he’s desperately trying to find anything that could help him get some answers. Who is he? What’s his name? Is he okay? 

The image of him getting shot by Jon still replays in his head, and he can’t help but wonder if he had someone to take care of him, like Luke does. They’ve always been told the enemy side are much more colder, and tend to stray away from forming team bonds, instead doing everything solo.

The thought of the guy having to clean up a bullet wound by himself leaves Luke upset in way he shouldn’t be feeling so goddamit,  _ why  _ does he care about this stranger so much?

After being released from the hospital, he had gone to their base, and searched through all of the files they have on everyone, both attacking and defending sides. There was no mention of a guy who painted their face as a skull, and it drove him mad. He couldn’t ask the guys, because although they played the idiotic card to many things, they were observant, they had to be, in this field.

They would know, he knows they would. And he’s not ready to be asked why, or forced to stop.

It’s been four months, and Luke has been picking up missions like crazy, hoping the other will be at one of them. Four months of little sleep and constant searching. It’s proved to be useless, there’s nothing about the man and Luke has yet to run into him again, but that doesn’t stop him from trying.

He’s currently taking a nap, hoping to at least get an hour of sleep, when there’s a chime on his phone, and he’s wide awake. It’s from Brock, with a new mission, and he’s quick to jump out of bed and throw on his clothes. He splashes water on his face, ignoring the reflection in the mirror, knowing he looks like shit.

For once, he’s there on time, with Brock being the only other one already sat at the table. He looks up, surprised, and gives Luke an odd look.

“You’re here already?”

Luke laughs, shrugging, “I wasn’t doing anything, so I said why not?”

Brock’s doesn’t look like he buys it, but he nods and goes back to reading the mission folder in his hands. Luke drums his fingers on the table, wishing the guys would hurry up, and it’s a few minutes later that Brock sighs, placing down the file.

“Luke...are you sure you’re okay? The boys think you’re acting...not like you.”

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” He’s hoping that by playing the defensive card, Brock will back off. 

He does. He backtracks, stuttering out an apology, but gets cut off as the others pile in.

They all look surprised to see Luke there, and Jon opens his mouth to say something, but Luke cuts him off, glancing back over to Brock.

“So, what’s the mission?” There’s a moment of silence as the guys all look at each other, not knowing what to do, before Brock finally sighs,

“Bomb.”

**

It’s after the mission, surprisingly enough, that they meet again. He had gone home, ignoring the worried stares of the guys, and set on actually getting some rest. It was obvious how tired he was, considering what should have been a simple mission turned into one that was overly complicated because he couldn’t do his job. 

He could track the enemy, but his reaction time to everything was slow and someone had managed to sneak up on Evan, getting a shot in before Jon took him down. Jon had been furious, rightfully so, yelling at Luke why he didn’t call out the person's location, and Luke could only stutter out a,  _ I don’t know, I wasn’t paying attention. _

So the first time they fail a mission is because of him. It’s a horrible feeling, and all he wants is to sleep and make sure he never lets something like that happen again. When he gets home, though, it’s obvious his body doesn’t want sleep just yet, because it growls, and he groans, cursing to himself.

There’s no food, of course, he’s been too busy searching for a certain someone that he rarely takes time to go grocery shopping anymore. He smells of sweat and other’s people blood, but he still walks out and gets back in his car, driving to the nearest market.

He’s walking down the cereal aisle, deciding on which one he wants, ignoring the whispers of “ _ is that blood?”  _ when someone steps up beside him. He goes to snap at the person, because they’ve obviously never heard of personal space, but when he looks over he stops short.

It’s a guy, a very attractive one at that, but that’s not what makes him freeze and has his mouth gaping open. Hazel eyes stare back at him, a playful smirk on lips, and though last time he was covered by paint, he  _ knows  _ who it is.   __

“Are you seriously considering getting Cheerios? Are you 50?” He slowly puts the box back down, still not sure on what exactly is going on. He’s been looking for this guy for months, and he finally finds him at a grocery store? He must be dreaming.

The guys smile slowly falls, and he sighs, looking away, “I know I’m probably the last person you want to see, but you’re causing a lot of attention with the blood on your clothes and face. I overheard a lady say she might call the cops. Just thought I’d warn you.” 

Luke still has a mantra of  _ what the fuck  _ in his head, but as soon as the guy starts walking away, he snaps out of whatever dream-like state he’s in. He grabs at the other’s wrist, trying to forget that the last time he did so was because he was trying to kill him, and smiles shyly, not sure about anything anymore.

“What cereal would you recommend I get?”

There’s a brief pause where neither of them move or say anything, before a smile spreads across his face and he laughs, and Luke has never loved hearing a sound as much as does in that moment.

“Personally, I always go for the Cocoa Puffs, because it’s like you’re getting chocolate milk for free.”

“Can’t you just buy chocolate milk?”

He’s aware that he’s still holding onto his wrist, but he doesn’t want to let go, and it seems as if the guy doesn’t mind, either.

“You  _ could  _ but what’s the fun in that? You start off with regular milk and by the time you’re done, it’s chocolate. It’s like you’re beating the system.”

He realizes that they’re having a conversation about cereal, and that he should probably be leaving considering all the stares he’s still getting, but the thought of leaving this man and possibly never seeing him again doesn't sit right with Luke.

“Do you...maybe, want to go eat this with me?”

He’s desperately wishing for the floor to open up and swallow him whole, spit him back out across the world because  _ eat this with me?  _ It’s such a lame way of saying he doesn’t want the other to leave just yet, and he’s not the best at flirting, but jesus, a five year old could do better than  _ that. _

He’s half expecting the guy to leave anyways, so he’s surprised when he softly laughs, (Luke’s new mission from now on is to always make him laugh-he’s actually starting to think the guy isn’t real because  _ holy shit,  _ who’s even capable of forming such a pretty sound?) and his eyes shine in a way completely different from the look he wore four months ago.  

“I’d like that, yeah. I’m Ryan, by the way, don’t think I mentioned that between the punching, and overall ass kicking I was giving you.”

Luke laughs, finally letting go of his wrist, and steps beside him as they walk to the check out, nudging him gently. 

“Hey, I remember getting a hit in there too.”

“True, but I also  _ stabbed  _ you, so I think I win by default.”

“ _ Or,  _ I let you win, because I knew you would be easy to beat.”

Ryan glances over at him, a small smirk playing on his lips, and raises an eyebrow, “We could always have a round 2 if you really think so.”

Luke may or may not be in love, “Maybe another time, when I’m not already covered in sweat and blood.”

He grins at the playful eye roll he gets in return.

“Yeah, you do smell like shit.”

**

His life becomes a whirlwind of Ryan after that. They’re always meeting up, having small ‘dates’, (they’ve yet to put a title on anything, and are more just testing the waters) but Luke has never had so much fun with someone that wasn’t one of the guys. 

They’re both similar yet opposite, and it’s as if they just  _ click.  _ When they’re together they can talk for hours about everything and nothing, sometimes just enjoying being near the other. It’s both thrilling and scary. He went from having no one in his life in a romantic way, to having this person he can’t stop thinking about.

After missions Ryan is the first person he calls, asking about his day even if they had just seen each other hours earlier. It’s crazy, and yet Luke feels on top of the world.

The only downside, though, is that the boys don’t know, which changes two months after Ryan and him start talking.

It happens by complete accident,  _ shitty luck,  _ Smii7y says. It’s one of those rare times that Ryan had a mission and Luke didn’t, and afterwards he heads over to Luke’s place. They’ve created this routine, where if one of them has a mission, they go to the others place that night, a way for them to tend to wounds and take care of each other.

So Ryan is at his, face painted and all, blood stained on his clothes and a nasty bruise forming on his cheek. They’re both in the bathroom, Ryan stripping out his clothes to take a shower, (Luke tries his hardest not to take a peek) and wash away the grime, when there’s a knock at the door. Luke frowns, not knowing who it would be.

He leaves Ryan hissing as he dabs at open cuts with an alcohol wipe, and goes to answer it. He doesn’t know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t the guys there, holding beers and movies. 

“Luke, we’ve been texting you all day! Did you forget that movie night was tonight?” Jon waves the case of beer around wildly, and oh, fuck, Luke did, in fact, forget.

“Uh…” Smii7y pushes past him, making his way into the kitchen and finding whatever he can to snack on.

“Why’re you acting so weird? It’s not like you have company, is it?” Evan is giving him a weird look and he panics, quickly turning and opening the door wider.

“Me? What? Since when do I ever have people come over, besides you guys?”

“Right, well, move your ass man, it’s cold out here.” He does, reluctantly.

Both Brock and Evan eye him as they enter and he starts to sweat a little, quickly shutting the door and watching them all enter the kitchen to put away the beers.

“So, actually, I was thinking that maybe we reschedule?”

Jon peeks his head up from the fridge and frowns over at him, “What, why? It’s Thursday, we always have movie night on Thursdays.”

“Well, I’m not really feeling well, and-” There’s the faint sound of a curse and he freezes, his heart is beating so fast he’s sure it’s going to implode.

“What was that?” Smii7y asks, eating a chip and staring at the hall with curious eyes.

“Luke...is someone here?” Brock’s giving him a look and Luke doesn’t know what to do, until the sound of a door opening gets everyone’s attention and they all look as Ryan walks out with a towel around his waist, paint still on, and sighing loudly.

“Luke, there’s no shampoo, do you- oh, uh, hi?”

Nobody moves for a solid minute, each frozen where they stand. Smii7y’s got a chip dangling from his lip, Evan looks as if he’s about to have a heart attack, Brock, for once, looks emotionless, and Jon, well, he looks furious.

Luke knows both him and Ryan look like deer caught in headlights.

And then chaos erupts. Jon makes to lunge at Ryan, but is immediately held back by Evan, and Luke jumps to stand in front of Ryan, holding up his hands. 

“Hey! Calm down, Jon!”

“Calm down? Luke, that’s the guy who tried to  _ kill you! _ ” From the corner of his eye he sees a handgun raise over his shoulder and he looks behind him to see Ryan pointing it at Jon, a hard look on his face.

“Do I need to put him down?”

“What? Ryan,  _ no,  _ we’ve talked about this. Not everything has to be solved with guns.”

“Look at that! He’s willing to shoot me, and you’re okay with him being here?!”

“Holy shit, sleeping with the enemy? Damn, Luke, I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Smii7y! You’re supposed to be against this!”

“Everyone calm down, and let’s just hear him out, okay?” Brock uses that stern yet soothing voice, and Jon shuts his mouth, breathing heavily through his nose. Evan’s got a hand still squeezing his shoulder, though, just in case.

“Luke...care to explain?” What does he even say in a situation like this? He glances back over at Ryan, who gives a small smile, and Luke sighs.

“We’re not...sleeping together. We-I don’t know…” And he doesn’t, not really. They have yet to talk about this, whatever this is. They haven’t kissed, haven’t done anything besides hold hands. Were they boyfriends? Just friends?

They both feel something, though, he  _ knows  _ they do, so why haven’t they acted on it?

So he doesn’t know how to answer that, not when he doesn’t know the answer himself. There’s an awkward silence that settles over them, and he’s so lost, until a soft hand is grabbing his, and he looks over, seeing Ryan staring determinedly at the guys. 

“I know you may not trust me, and that’s fine, I don’t blame you, but Luke means a lot to me. He’s the first person I’ve been able to trust in years, and I- I care for him in ways I didn’t know I could, and I don’t want to lose him.”

The hand in his is squeezing tightly, and he rubs his thumb over bruised knuckles, his heart doing leaps inside his chest.

Jon still looks tense, and he sighs, “Look, Jon, I know you’re not happy about this, but I don’t plan on letting him go.”

There’s a few more minutes of tense silence before Jon heaves a sigh, leaning his weight on Evan. He eyes Ryan, giving a hesitant smile.

“Can you at least wash the paint off? I still only see you leaning over Luke ready to kill him.”

“Yeah, of course.” Ryan slowly pulls his hand from his grip, giving Luke a soft smile before retreating back into the bathroom, where they hear the water turn on moments later.

They all still stand around in the kitchen, each not knowing how to continue on, until Smii7y goes back to eating his chips.

“So, he seems cool.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Jon cuts in, and he looks so hurt.

Luke sighs, crossing his arms, “I’m sorry, Jon, but put yourself in my shoes. Would you have told us if Evan was on the enemy side?”

“No, I guess not.”

“Look, all of you, I know this may not seem ideal, but he makes me happy, and we’re good for each other. We take care of each other, and help one another after a mission. He’s not who you think he is, just trust me, okay?”

“As long as you’re happy, Luke, that’s all that matters.” Brock gives him a reassuring smile, and Luke feels as if a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

They leave a bit after that, with Jon still looking unsure but Evan promising that he’ll talk some sense into him. He waits on the couch for Ryan to be done, and after a few minutes the restroom door opens, and he walks out dressed in Luke’s sweatpants and shirt. 

“Did they leave?” He asks quietly, not moving from the entrance of the door.

“Yeah...said they would give us some alone time.”

For once it’s awkward between them, and Luke hates it.

“Can you just...come sit by me?” Ryan quickly nods, walking over and sitting down, but it’s still awkward because normally they would be touching from head to toe, but Ryan makes sure there’s space between them, and his hands are clasped between his thighs.

They sit for a couple of minutes, neither knowing what to do, before finally Ryan sighs, turning to face him.

“Should I leave? I can give you space to think things over, if that’s what you want.”

Luke quickly looks over at him, because he definitely doesn’t want that.

“No...I just, I think we should talk. Really talk, about what’s going on between us.”

“I thought it was obvious.” When Luke just looks at him questionly, Ryan smiles softly, scooting closer.

“I care about you, Luke, and...sometimes that means I think about what it would be like to kiss you.”

Oh, well, he was more than okay with that.

He smiles, looking into eyes that once stared at him coldly, and that are now filled with warmth and something that looked a lot like love.

“Yeah?” He asks, smiling wider when Ryan nods and leans closer, “Only if I get to call you my boyfriend from now on.”

Ryan’s answering grin makes his heart pound heavy in his chest it almost hurts, but he can’t help it, he’s never seen a more beautiful sight.

“Deal. Now shut up and kiss me.” He doesn’t need to be told twice.

He remembers a long time ago, when Evan and Jon first got together, and Luke had been drunk and curious, a little sad, too, when he asked how their first kiss was. Jon had smiled and had a distant look in his eyes, “ _ it’s indescribable, but it leaves you feeling almost complete, as if your heart is sighing, and the stars align, and suddenly the world makes sense.” _

He had laughed, told him he sounded full of shit, but now, as Ryan wraps his arms around his neck, runs his fingers through his hair, he understands. He’s never experienced anything like this, never felt what he’s feeling as Ryan breathes into him, giving him life he didn’t know he was in desperate need of.

It’s something he never wants to lose, never wants to let it slip through his fingers, and so he holds on tighter, pulls it in closer, until they’re wrapped up in each other.

He doesn’t know what the future holds, if their jobs will get in the way, but right then and there, he feels as if they’re unstoppable. A force the world could have never prepared for, and he makes a promise to himself, to never let that feeling die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's complete! I hope you all enjoyed this little ohmtoonz journey :)

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always welcomed and I hope you all enjoyed!


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